Split Second
by papalogia
Summary: "We've been dating for over two years now. You hate big shows, I hate big shows, we discuss elopement on a near daily basis, let's just do it." Because neither of the two were overly fond of doing things the conventional way.


**A/N: **GUESS WHO'S BACK WITH ANOTHER LAXLU? ME! This is a good 8K shorter than the last one, but this was a request fic on tumblr, so voila! Hope you enjoy! Concrit much appreciated.

**Disclaimer: **Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, not me. I do, however, on the plot to this fic.

* * *

The night was fairly chilly for June.

Laxus groaned as he lay back on the grassy hill, his back letting out several satisfying cracks. He winced, stretching again. Twelve hours hunched over the tiny desk in his office with limited lighting staring at damage reports and this was the end result. He had barely managed to make a sizeable dent in the paperwork, but figured if he stared at the sheets any longer his eyeballs would pop out of his skull.

He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes and began rubbing methodical circles into his head with his fingers in hopes of alleviating his throbbing headache. He wasn't quite sure when he had last slept, but he was regretting not at least power-napping between reports. He hadn't had a headache like this in a while, and it was becoming nearly unbearable.

"You're an idiot," came a gentle voice from his side. His lips pulled upwards in a lopsided smile as he turned his head in the direction it came from.

"Well, you're dating this idiot," though his eyes were still shut, he knew she was rolling her beautiful brown orbs. He heard her plop down beside him, and then she grabbed his hand and pressed something small and round into it.

"Swallow that dry and I'll never let you have one again," her threat was accompanied by a cool bottle being placed on his chest. He popped the pill in his mouth and took a hefty gulp of water before the sugar-coating dissolved on his tongue and it went bitter.

"Where would I be without you?" He finally opened his eyes, and she let out a burst of laughter. "Dead, no doubt."

"I can see the headline now-_'Laxus Dreyer, Strongest Mage in the Country, Defeated at the Hands of Paperwork'_."

"Well, think of it this way, if that were the case, Natsu really_ will_ have defeated you," she squeaked as he tugged her to him, hefting one of her legs over his waist so she sat straddling his hips. He grinned up at her, enjoying the bright red flush on her cheeks.

"Then I really should be grateful for you," he murmured, "Will you let me express my gratitude, Miss Heartfilia?"

"Certainly, Mr Dreyer," Lucy leaned down and pressed her soft lips to his. The kiss wasn't the burning, intense kind they normally shared. This kind of slow kiss was reserved for nights like these, where they were at peace with the world and they were alone with no meddlesome teammates and nosy Guild Mates in the vicinity. These were the kisses where Laxus expressed his more tender affections for the blonde woman in his arms, and where she went from the fierce warrior to the gentle princess she was raised to be. He nipped her lower lip as he pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Was that satisfactory?"

"For now," she laid her head over his heart and exhaled deeply. "I'm exhausted."

"You're not the only one," he tangled his fingers in her hair as his other hand circled her waist, securing her body to his. "What's up?"

"Natsu had me running double time on our last mission," she yawned, "Honestly, I don't know why he has me come up with all these elaborate plots if he's going to ditch them last minute."

He frowned and glanced down. She wore a pair of tight yoga pants and a light sweater, both of which covered her fully so he was unable to see any injuries. "Did you get hurt?"

"Mild concussion, broken ribs, and a fractured collarbone. Wendy fixed me up, but I'm still a little sore and my head kills," his stormy blue eyes immediately became concerned as he tilted her face up. "You should've taken the painkiller instead of me."

"Not supposed to have 'em when you get a concussion, genius. You've had how many and don't know this?" Ignoring her jibe, he rubbed small circles into her head, finding the spots he knew would rid the pain in moments.

"Magic fingers..." Lucy mumbled, smacking his chest almost immediately after. "And if you even _think_ about taking that in a dirty manner, Laxus, so help me God..."

"Fine, fine, take the fun away," Laxus rolled his eyes, wincing as his head pounded in protest. Lucy sighed and snuggled deeper into his chest, a light tremor running through her body. "You are honestly like a human furnace. So warm..."

"Why did you dress so lightly if you knew it was gonna be chilly, you dumb blonde?" Despite his grumblings, Laxus immediately reached for his coat and draped it over the two like a blanket. One hand returned to her waist and the other went to rest behind his head in a makeshift pillow.

"You're blond, too, how many times do I have to remind you?" Lucy cracked open an eye to peer up, "Or are you just so blond you forgot?"

"There's something ironic about a blonde making blonde jokes, I can't put my finger on _what_ exactly..." Laxus's lip quirked up. Lucy merely burrowed her face into his neck and bit down on his pulse in response.

"Out in the open? My, my, Lady Heartfilia, what if the public caught wind of this? How scandalous," if there was one thing Laxus loved to do above all else on these nights, it was tease her about how un-ladylike she was by high society's standards. Her aggravated responses served to further prove his point, and the furious blush that would rise to her cheeks only made her look all the more cute in his eyes.

"What if the public caught wind of how big of a cuddle bear you are in private? Your scary image would be destroyed in moments," Lucy's voice dropped lower as she continued, "Worse-what if _Natsu_ found out?"

"The day Natsu finds out is the day he gets his shit together and asks that Saber-chick out," Laxus responded. "So never."

"Uh huh," Lucy yawned again. Her fingers began to trace small patterns on the empty side of his chest.

In his opinion, the best part of these nights weren't the kisses exchanged, nor were they the hours spent bantering about everything and anything back and forth-they were the quiet times like now, where they would lay in close proximity and say nothing. Where they would be content to simply be with each other, and comfort the other with their presence. Between their hectic lives, and the dangerous jobs they took, the opportunity to just do nothing with the one they cherished most was a blessing.

"Elopement plot fifty five," Lucy's drowsy voice drifted up to his sensitive ears, "Run away to Jewel and send word through Sorcerer's. Sit back and revel in the Guild's screams of fury."

"Things that can go wrong: Mirajane. Enough said. Your psychotic team and my protection squad hounding us. Erza thinking I've besmirched your honour and coming for my head on a platter, and grabbing the snake fucker and narcoleptic on the way up."

The elopement plots were originally just elaborate vacation escape ideas Lucy had, up until one day Laxus had mentioned how much like one plot sounded like the elopement an old friend of his had gone through with. From that day onward, Lucy dubbed the vacation ideas 'the elopement plots', fully aware of how they would sound to the public if word got out.

"You enjoy fighting Cobra and Midnight, don't lie," he could feel her lips twisting into a smile against his neck. Something about the teasing atmosphere combined with the way the Celestial Mage in his arms made his heart stutter caused him to blurt out what he did next.

"Lucy."

"Hmm?"

"Let's do it."

"Do what?"

"Elopement plot fifty five. Let's do it. For real."

"_What?_" Lucy placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed herself up, hovering over his body. Her hair fell like a curtain around her face, confusion clear in her eyes. With the starry sky acting as the background, Laxus couldn't help but marvel at how ethereal she appeared. She looked as natural above him as the stars that formed the constellations of her spirits.

"Let's elope," he murmured. Lucy sputtered and leaned back, resting herself on his hips again. He propped himself up, stretching his arms behind him and tilting his head. He wasn't sure why he had proposed the idea at that very moment, but he supposed that was the idea of an elopement-the split second desire to marry someone without an audience, where the only thing that mattered was the couple and not the guests or the lavishness. Where he could just be Laxus, not the Lightning Dragon Slayer who was revered across the land, and where she could be Lucy, not the Heartfilia heiress and Light of Fairy Tail.

That was what had drawn the two together in the first place, after all. The titles they carried came with the heavy burden of a country's expectations. With Laxus, the expectation to be as strong as all those with his family name was what had originally led him to commit the acts he had during Fantasia. Even now, it seemed as though the world was watching him, waiting for him to slip up. Lucy, on the other hand, was expected to be the chipper and endlessly cheery girl befitting the title of 'the Light of Fairy Tail', just as she had been expected to be the pretty, simpering heiress in her household growing up.

The world didn't know that the both of them were struggling with their own demons underneath the exteriors they put up. They didn't know that Laxus was terrified of failure and ending up a bigger disappointment than he felt he already was, and they didn't know Lucy struggled daily with thoughts of never being up to par with her team. The only people who knew of their secrets were the two of them, and that was what formed the basis of their friendship and eventual romantic entanglement.

"I...you...you're _serious_," Lucy breathed, her hands clapping over her mouth in surprise.

"If you don't want to, that's fine," Laxus tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek after. "But it's out on the table if you want."

"Why so sudden?"

"Why not? Look, Lucy, it's not as if marriage isn't a definite possibility, we've been dating for over two years now. You hate big shows, I hate big shows, we discuss elopement on a near daily basis, let's just do it," Laxus's smile was contagious with how bright it was. He resembled a child given free reign in a candy store.

"Okay."

Laxus looked stunned for a moment. "What?"

"Let's do it. Let's elope!" Lucy laughed, euphoric. Laxus let out a roar of triumph, pulling her tightly to the broad expanse of his chest. Lucy wound her arms around his neck in turn, and looked up. Her eyes were full of both excitement and adoration, and Laxus could practically feel the giddiness roll off her in waves.

"When?" Laxus ran his hands up and down her back. Lucy patted his cheek in the gentle imitation of a slap. "_Now,_ stupid, that's the point of an elopement."

"Jewel?" His eyes shone.

"Jewel. Just like I said," she extracted herself from his embrace and tugged his beefy arm. "So let's get a move on! Sorcerer's is going to have a riot with this one!"

"Not as much as the Guild," he threw his coat over his shoulder. He grasped her hand, dwarfing her dainty fingers with his own.

"The wrath of Mira and Erza worth it?" Lucy inquired teasingly.

"For you? The wrath of a hundred Mira and Erza's would be worth it."

* * *

Cana's scream brought the chatter of the Guild to a standstill. The brunette stood in the middle of the hall clutching a fresh copy of Sorcerer's tightly, nearly shredding the magazine in half with the force of her grip. Her 'hubby' lay forgotten on the floor, a steady trickle of beer staining the fresh wood.

"Cana?" Gildartz asked urgently, "What's wrong?"

"Lu...Lucy..." She squeaked, swaying on her feet. "_Lucy and Laxus fucking eloped!_"

Mira screeched, vaulting over the bar counter and scrambling over to snatch the papers. Cana let the Take Over Mage grasp only one side of the magazine as she maintained her grip on the other. Mira let out another screech as she caught sight of the spreadsheet picture.

Laxus donned a form fitting white suit and held Lucy in his arms as they posed for a picture on the platform of a train-station. The busty blonde woman wore a beautiful strapless white dress with a sequined empire waist bodice, from which billowy layers fell one over the other till her knees. They both had mischievous grins on their faces, and Lucy held a sign with the words _SORRY, NOT SORRY_ scrawled in hasty letters.

Gajeel grabbed the magazine from the catatonic women and began to read aloud, his red eyes wide.

"_Laxus Dreyer and Lucy Heartfilia Elope! The couple informed Sorcerer's Weekly reporter Jason Albridge of their intentions a mere fifteen minutes prior to boarding their train ride to an unspecified location in Jewel for the elopement and subsequent honeymoon. Lucy Heartfilia says that while the agreement to elope occurred only two hours before purchasing tickets, the idea had been bouncing around for well over six months_," Gajeel's jaw had fallen, and Gray took over immediately.

"_'We don't mean to hurt any of our friends or family by doing this,' she says, 'But really, we want a quiet ceremony, just the two of us'. Laxus Dreyer looked appropriately ecstatic as he held his fiancee at close range, and only stopped to comment the following: 'Fairy Tail-don't expect us back any time soon'_."

"What the fuck!" Natsu yelled.

That was the catalyst for chaos to ensue. Mira and Cana were still out of it, Freed and Bacchus attempting to shock their respective girlfriends back to reality. Natsu was being calmed by Yukino, who patted her somewhat boyfriend's head comfortingly, though she, too, looked surprised. Erza was furious, spitting out promises of vengeance as she stalked around in circles. Jellal was mildly terrified as he attempted to keep her steady. Wendy and Levy had burst into tears, wailing about the sheer romanticism of it all. Kinana and Dobengal were somewhat confused, being the only two not having either a panic attack or an aneurysm.

Lucy's self proclaimed siblings were the worst of the lot, however. Cobra had crushed a table, his eye twitching in a deadly manner. Midnight's face was blank in a way that promised bloodshed. Sting was literally alight with fury, and his boyfriend attempted to dampen the glare with his shadows, though he looked just as murderous as the rest. Gajeel and Gray were a snarling mess, detailing the various ways they would bring about the Lightning Slayer's downfall.

"_I want his head on a platter!_" Erza shouted. Jellal pinned her arms to her side, holding her in place as she attempted to storm out of the Guild and do just that.

* * *

Elsewhere, Laxus sneezed violently, dropping his fork. Lucy looked at her husband in concern over her glass of wine.

"Bless you. Are you okay?" She offered him a handkerchief from her purse. He waved it away, sniffing.

"Somebody must have been talking about me," he smiled, twining his left hand with hers. The light glinted off their gold rings, catching the small diamonds on the bands.

"Well, our mini-interview must have been published. Everybody is talking about it by now," she responded logically.

"I can almost hear the Guild blowing up," he said. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"You and your desire to cause chaos."

"You love it."

"Shut up and finish your dinner, Mr Dreyer."

"Gladly, Mrs Dreyer."

* * *

**A/N: **Oh my God, that was so short. I'm on a shippy roll! Oh, before I forget! Dragon'sHost and I are organizing a CoLu week in June in honour of the ultimate OTP, details are on both our profiles, check it out!

-Touko


End file.
